Jekart
Jekart is a successful information broker, a former member of the Shadow Syndicate, and an ally of the Zeverek bounty hunter Skorr. Biography Early Life A member of a warlike race native to one of the southern islands, Jekart originally worked as a slave driver, overseeing efforts made by his prisoners to create weapons for his clients and employers. Eventually, Jekart's species was pushed to the brink of extinction by a hazardous natural disaster, resulting in him fleeing his homeland in order to save his own life. He would wander the universe for many years until he stopped off at Stelt, where he took up the occupation of a match promoter, and advertised numerous battles between gladiators within the Steltian arenas. However, Jekart grew wearisome and bored with his occupation, and decided to aspire for better things. This resulted in him becoming a bounty hunter, and he eventually managed to establish a fair reputation for himself, occasionally competing in the big leagues of the trade. Spending many centuries offering his services to others, Jekart developed many rivalries with other successful bounty hunters. He eventually joined the ranks of the mysterious crime faction the Shadow Syndicate, eventually becoming one of its most infamous members. However, Jekart's well-earned reputation was soon overcome by the efficiency of the newer generations of bounty hunters, who swiftly became favorites amongst potential employers. When the Dark Hunters began to rise above the Syndicate and dominate the business, Jekart began to reconsider his lifestyle. Informant Unable to compete with this new generation of mercenaries, Jekart retired from bounty hunting, abandoned his servitude to the Shadow Syndicate, and instead became an information broker, providing his clients with details at hefty fees. After proving he was capable of finding out priceless information through a variety of dubious means, Jekart became one of the universe's best informants. He soon became a valuable and reliable source of information, with many beings coming to gain intelligence from him, which confirmed his talents in the trade. As his reputation grew, Jekart established a shadowy network of spies and agents to gather and catalogue information for him, subsequently granting him an extremely wide sphere of influence in the universe. In order to maintain his business, Jekart ensured that all secrets purchased from him never allowed the buyer to gain a significant advantages, forcing them to continue trading information to avoid becoming disadvantaged. In exchange for this information, Jekart would demand huge payments, personal favors or relevant information that he deemed valuable. However, numerous clients were also wearisome of Jekart's untrustworthy nature, despite his talent at recovering highly accurate and useful information. However, even the Shadow Syndicate began coming to him for information, resulting in the group's leader, Lethal, begrudgingly making him an exception to their member-for-life policy. Nonetheless, Jekart's reputation was eventually enough to catch the attention of Skorr, one of the universe's most prominent independent bounty hunters. Surprisingly, Jekart remained willing to lend his services to the Zeverek, out of both an interest in Skorr's work and due to the large payments he gave for information. Skorr would soon become one of Jekart's most frequent clients. Alongside the Matoran crafter Invex and the Skakdi thug Arzok, Jekart has often accompanied Skorr on a number of his missions, and his knowledge and experience as a bounty hunter have often played critical role in the success of their missions. Eventually, he took up residence in the Tahtorak's Talon on Stelt, and managed to appoint himself the tavern's owner after the previous disappeared and died under unknown circumstances, which is rumored to have been through Jekart's machinations. There, he would continually provide Skorr with information whenever he was resting within the inn. Due to the shifty nature of the tavern, Jekart found it easy to acquire new customers. Spherus Magna More recently, after Makuta Teridax was killed in his conflict with Mata Nui, Jekart was forced to flee to the surface of Spherus Magna after the Matoran Universe was rendered non-functional. There, due to the abrupt social changes, Jekart's entire information business totally collapsed, with his networks dispersing due to confusion and a lack of structural stability. Deciding to wait until the new Agori/Matoran society had been established, Jekart disappeared. Not long after Spherus Magna's reformation, Jekart was tracked down by Skorr, who had been contracted by the Shadow of Ages. After revealing details of his job, Jekart informed him of a rumor he had heard about a Ga-Matoran traveller who had allegedly set off to find these relics Skorr had been assigned to track down. The two then parted ways, though not before Jekart that learned that Skorr intended to retire from bounty hunting after his mission, causing Skorr to threaten to kill him if he dared to sell the information out to anybody else who may want to hunt him down. Abilities and Traits Crafty and intelligent, Jekart is known to for his untrustworthy nature, being willing to sell his clients out to others for profit. Jekart is known to be exceptionally greedy, more so than Skorr, frequently demanding exorbitant fees for the information he provides. He possesses a great understanding of the way the bounty hunting business works, and his previous experiences have made him a great adviser. He is also very analytical and observant to detail, and has a very photographic memory, which has served him well in his role as an informant. This trait has also had influence on the high quality of the information he sells to others. He is an expert a deciphering hidden codes and texts, and he is very fluent in almost all known languages in the Matoran Universe, a fact which has made he very sought-out in his career as an information broker. Due to his age, he is slow and not very tolerant towards pain, making him a somewhat weak opponent. Though famous in his younger days for his speed and stamina, Jekart is no longer as capable of engaging others the same way he did in his early life. Fortunately, due to the powers of his blade, he can still pose a fairly decent challenge for a short period of time. Even without the tool, Jekart is strong enough to hold his own for a short time. Jekart bears a hideous and repulsive physical appearance, which he often uses to his advantage to unnerve and intimidate those dealing with him. Tools Jekart carries a large blade with him at all times in case battle ever comes his way. Since he lacks any powers of his own, Jekart has modified his weapon to give it the ability to fire light blasts of energy. These blasts can drain energy from an opponent's body, allowing Jekart to absorb the energy and enhance his levels of anger and rage, boosting his energy for a brief period. His left hand bears the form of a sharp claw, which he can use to defend himself. Trivia *Jekart was inspired by a wide variety of characters. Initially, he was inspired by 8t88, a Droid information broker from the Star Wars franchise. Later, he was influenced by Dorium Maldovar, a similarly shady dealer from the science fiction series Doctor Who. In addition, the villainous informant from the Mass Effect games known as the the Shadow Broker played a role in further developing his character. *Although he made an appearance in Hunted, Jekart was never originally intended to be included in the tale, and was added as a last-minute character. In the original draft, the being who informed Skorr of Dredzek's proposition was an unnamed Skakdi of Psionics, which eventually became the basis for the character Arzok. Appearances Storyline Appearances *''Hunted'' (First Appearance) *''Punishment'' *''Journeys of Darkness'' Non-Storyline Appearances *''The Darkest Light'' *''The Night Vulture'' (Mentioned Only) Category:Unknown Species Category:Neutral